Scott Richards Contemporary Art
STREET VIEW: a survey of contemporary photorealist paintings
March 5-30, 2013
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 7, 5:30-7:30 pm
Works by: Anthony Brunelli, Davis Cone, Robert Cottingham, Robert Gniewek, Drew Goings, Don Jacot, Bertrand Meniel, Raphaella Spence and Nathan Walsh.
The focus of this exhibition is on the urban landscape, and it will feature a collection of paintings by artists ranging from well-known names to younger painters experimenting in a more hyperrealist style. All the works inspire a sense of awe at the variety of detail and technical rigor in the depiction of familiar scenes from city life – geometric architectural forms, passersby, shiny cars and intricate arrangements of everyday, mass-produced items.
Photorealism began in the United States in the late 1960s, evolving from Pop Art in response to Abstract Expressionism. Photorealist artists work from photographs and reproduce their subjects with painstaking precision. While initially employing projectors and grid transfer techniques, the movement experienced a renewed relevance in the 1990s with the advent of digital technology. This gave birth to Hyperrealism, where, by employing digital techniques, artists are able to be even more meticulous than their predecessors, and push the boundaries of traditional Photorealism by intensifying color and form.
Davis Cone, Robert Gniewek, and Don Jacot -- all well-established artists who began their painting careers in the 1970s -- present landscapes with a distinctly American flavor, depicting street views from the South, Midwest and New York City. Their iconic photorealist subject matter includes vintage cinema facades, neon signs, reflective city window displays and even a porn movie marquee.
In contrast, the younger artists in STREET VIEW explore a dynamic and global urban environment. American Anthony Brunelli, Bertrand Meniel, from France, and Raphaella Spence and Nathan Walsh, both from the UK, take us to the streets of Las Vegas, Paris, London and Hanoi. With super-saturated color, distorted perspective and astonishing detail they create a vibrant picture of the life of a modern city.